[Brett66]

I should have typed "private companies" instead of NGO.Though there are some cool NGO's like the Artemis Project.

[DoughtyOne]

Once tourism and off world habitation has taken off, big business will be quick to fill the void a defunct NASA would leave. But I think we need to be cognisant of a problem that will present. If we are not careful we won't have a 51st and 52nd state etc., we'll have WallMart World and Nike World. The big corporations would like nothing better than to exploit a whole new world. I'd sure like to see these new communities set up with mom and pop this and that instead of wholely owned corporate towns or worse yet, states. This is going to take a good deal of oversight on the part of the first governments on these planets.